One of the most celebrated multi-hyphenates in roots music, Alison Brown is a GRAMMY-winning musician, producer, and composer, a former investment banker, and co-founder of the internationally acclaimed Compass Records Group, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025.
The first woman to win an instrumentalist of the year award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), Alison Brown is one of today’s most innovative banjo players. With the Alison Brown Quintet, she takes the banjo beyond its Appalachian roots, blending bluegrass and jazz influences into a unique sonic tapestry that has earned praise from national tastemakers, including The Wall Street Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and USA Today.
In addition to the IBMA Banjo Player of the Year Award, Alison has received the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award and was honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum. She also received the USA Artists Fellowship in Music and was the first female 5-string player inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame.
Alison frequently collaborates with actor/comedian/banjoist Steve Martin. Their album Safe, Sensible and Sane debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart; their musical partnership has produced five #1 singles on bluegrass radio and garnered over 70M views on social media. Alison also hosts the weekly program Pick Like a Girl on SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction and ‘plays it forward’ through her ArtistWorks online banjo school.
Photo: Neil Culbertson